Splat!!!

Introduction

Recently, I was asked where I obtained my "splat" markers.  These can be seen in many of my battle reports, especially for All Things Zombie (ATZ).  The picture above comes from one such game; each marker shows where a casualty has occurred.  From the pattern that builds up it's easy to see where the hottest action has occurred!

Well, the splat markers are home-made, so you cannot buy them.  The good news is that they're really cheap, very easy to make and take only a few seconds each to paint.  Here's how I do it:

Making the tokens

I bought my counters from EM-4, though I'm sure that other suppliers of "game accessories" will have similar products.  At the time of writing, a pack of 12mm clear counters costs £1.02; each pack holds 50 of the disks.

For the splats, I use a bright scarlet acrylic paint that has been on my bench for years.  Indeed, it's become a bit too thick for most purposes, but works just fine for this.  If you want a less cartoon-like appearance then perhaps a darker red might be more appropriate.  Also note that I don't use my best paintbrushes for this project!

Paint goes on in 4 simple steps.  Once you know what to do, it only takes 10 or 20 seconds to finish each token.  So:

Paint a dot in the centre of each counter.  I make my initial red circles about 1/3 of the diameter of the whole token.

Put some slightly smaller dots around the edge.  I use between 3 and 5 typically.  Don't space them out evenly; a bit of randomness is good here.

Join the "edge dots" to the centre.  Again, try not to have geometrically-precise lines.

Place 3 to 5 much smaller dots around the rim, in the gaps between the "edge dots".  Connect these to the centre with a dotted or dashed line (everything radiates out from the centre of the counter).

Leave to dry.  You're done!

The finished markers can be used to indicate the position of bodies.  This is especially useful in a game with a high casualty rate where you don't have enough models of dead people!  They can also be used as wound markers if your game has units which can take multiple hits.

DBA: Ambush at Beth-Shemesh!

Introduction

For this week's game at the Helensburgh games club, I decided to fetch out my oldest figures.  These are my 6 matched 15mm Biblical armies.  Some of these figures go back almost 30 years, though most models aren't quite so ancient.  Anyway, here's the scenario:

An Assyrian column, laden with baggage, is marching towards the captured town of Beth-Shemesh.  There they will rendezvous with their Midianite mercenaries.  Unknown to them, a couple of Hebrew forces, assisted by a detachment of Kushites, are planning an ambush!  That's a total of 6 DBA 'armies', each of 12 units, so both sides have the same number of elements.  Can the column reach the safety of the town or see off the attackers?  Read on to find out...

The Vanguard

The Hebrew (E) army advanced rapidly towards the front of the Assyrian column.  Both the Hebrew (W) and Kushite armies were significantly delayed by bad terrain, having chosen to deploy behind steep hills and thickets of trees.In response, both the Assyrian vanguard and rearguard were caught unaware and only moved sluggishly.  However, the Midianite chieftain led his camels as fast as possible towards the ambushers, trying to save his paymasters!

They weren't in time; the swift Hebrew infantry caught the bulk of the front Assyrian column before it could deploy properly.  The attackers quickly swept the guards aside and started to plunder the baggage!

Things went badly for the Hebrew (E) general.  Firstly, he was pinned by the Midianite camels, then a devastating flank charge by the Assyrian king and his royal bodyguard wiped out all the Hebrew nobles from that force.

The Rearguard

The situation was much better for the rear of the column.  The Kushite Egyptians were disorganised after forcing their way through patches of thorny scrub and steep, rocky hills.  This gave the Assyrian infantry plenty of time to form a defensive line to face them.

Seeing that the southern threat was neutralised, the general of the rearguard moved his chariots to assist his fellows in the vanguard.  Although he came too late to prevent the vanguard being overrun, the Assyrian did managed to trap the Hebrew (W) general and slay him!

The End

Caught between the infantry of the 2 Hebrew forces, the Assyrian vanguard was crushed.  Indeed, the only element left was the king himself!  He made a quick "strategic withdrawal" into the safety of the town of Beth-Shemesh, screened by the allied Midianite foot warriors.  However, both Hebrew armies were now out of control, looting the bodies and baggage of their enemies (a combination of loss of generals and low PIP rolls meant that neither Hebrew force could be made to move).
This was too much for the Assyrian rearguard; it broke and scattered.  Both soldiers and baggage train headed for the hills, pursued somewhat ineffectively by Kushite tribesmen.

The situation at the end:

Defenders:

• Assyrian: one army was destroyed utterly, the other was broken.  Most of the baggage was lost.  But, both generals survived and would no doubt be plotting their revenge, if they can rally enough scattered troops!
• Midianite: the Arabs barely took any losses and remain in control of the town.  In addition, they now have the Assyrian king at their mercy, so maybe it's time to re-negotiate their mercenary pay rates?

Attackers:

• Hebrew: both armies have lost their generals, while the foot soldiers are busy plundering the Assyrian baggage.  Unless someone steps up to lead them then I suspect they'll be very disorganised and vulnerable for quite some time!
• Kushite Egyptians: Tired and hot, both from the difficult terrain and the almost fruitless pursuit.  No loot, no prisoners, no glory.  Remind me: why did we come here to fight, when we could have stayed at home?!

ATZ Game 10: Gas, Bats and Walkie Talkies

Introduction

At Golden Hills, a council of war was held in Gertrude and Albert's kitchen.
"I don't think we can remain here" said Bomber.  "I know there are no zombies in this area for now, but this complex is just too vulnerable.  We don't have enough people to defend it and there is no way to fortify it easily."
"You want us to leave our homes?" replied Gertrude.
"Yes."
"But where would we go?  How would we travel?  You know that Albert and I can't walk far, don't you?"
Iain spoke up, hesitantly "What about the evacuation camp?  You told me that the rest of your group were heading there."
"Yes, but we don't know where it is - the soldiers never told us."
"There's another thing" continued Bomber.  "If we split up then we have no way of keeping in touch.  Phones aren't working any more.  We really need some walkie talkies or something like that."
"Police station" Goofy interjected.  "You could get radios there.  Might find out about evacuation plans as well."
"Right!  That sounds good.  Where is the nearest cop shop from here?"

The Mission

This scenario is a straightforward scavenge mission.  Radio equipment might be found in the large police station at the far end of the table.  There's also a deserted Channel 5 News van (blue) in the road near the precinct house.  It has a satellite dish on its roof, so perhaps it has some usable communication gear inside it?

Personnel in Bomber's group are:

• Bomber: REP 7 (!) survivalist with brawler, shotgun, baseball bat
• Clancy: (Bomber's huge Irish wolfhound) REP 6 dog with brawler
• Goofy: REP 5 survivalist with nerves of steel, shotgun,lumber axe
• Iain: REP 4 civilian with initiative, pistol, cricket bat

How it played

The team had barely moved up to the closest building when Clancy started to whine and shake his head.  Almost immediately, the humans noticed the strong smell as well (random event: gas leak!).

"That smells like gas!" exclaimed Iain.  "There must be a broken pipe somewhere nearby.  In that bookstore, maybe?"
"It's very strong, isn't it?" replied Bomber.  "Right, we don't want to cause an explosion.  Put away your guns."  This decision would be regretted very soon.
Showing some reluctance, Goofy slung his shotgun and grasped his axe instead.  Iain looked much more comfortable as he practiced a few swings with his cricket bat.

Before the group could move any further, a pack of zombies approached round the corner of the building.  Bomber was immediately engaged by 2 of them, though he killed both easily with skillful strokes from his baseball bat.  Iain looked shocked and froze in place at the sight of the monsters (failed his citizen's "brown pants" test), but Goofy and Clancy charged the zombies head on!
Perhaps they suddenly realised that they were outnumbered, or perhaps the smell of gas made them lose concentration.  Whatever the reason, the ensuing melee didn't go well for the pair.  Clancy failed to do anything to his opponent, though at least avoided injury.  Goofy attacked with the axe, but he wasn't used to the long handle and timed his swing badly.  The zombie lurched under his guard and bit him in the shoulder.

When Bomber came round the corner, he saw Goofy staggering backwards, holding one bloody hand to his wound.  As he watched, green lines spread quickly from the wound along his veins.  Within moments, Goofy started to convulse (rolled a '1' for the number of activations before he became a zombie).  His last act was to turn to his friend and look pleadingly at him.
"Aw, shit!" exclaimed Bomber.  He strode forward and smashed Goofy's skull with his bat.  Bomber then methodically battered all the other zombies to the ground, one after another.

Just as Iain finally plucked up courage to join Bomber and Clancy, a small, white Scottie dog ran past them.  Following it was another bunch of zombies.  This time, Iain joined in the melee, though Bomber's continuing rampage accounted for most of the monsters.

Iain was feeling very nervous now and would quite happily have given up and retreated.  However, he didn't dare to say anything as Bomber wiped his bat clean, squared his shoulders and marched towards the police station.  Clancy followed and Iain trailed along behind.

The Precinct House

Inside the police station, there were more zombies.  2 such creatures in the reception area were no match for the experienced survivors; they were quickly destroyed.  Searching the desk revealed a single police radio which was quickly put into a pocket.  The party would need to find at least one more before it would be useful, of course!

A nasty surprise awaited the team in the next corridor.  3 rough-looking humans were already present and didn't look at all pleased to have company (Buck - REP 5 with rifle, Curly - REP4/shotgun, Jess - REP3/pistol).
"Who the f*ck are you?" said the leader, menacingly.  He looked over the newcomers and noticed that they were well-equipped.  He continued "You know what, it doesn't matter.  Take your weapons off and put them on the floor, real slow, like."
To emphasise his leader's words, Curly cocked his shotgun.  This was too much for Clancy; the big dog leaped forward and, taking the bald man by surprise, knocked him to the ground (Clancy won the in-sight test for the "walk the walk", followed by Curly and Bomber, then Jess and Buck, with Iain last).
With Curly on the floor and being harried by the wolfhound, Bomber charged the man who had threatened them.  Buck was a little too slow in reacting and went down hard as the heavy bat struck him.  Panicking, Jess fired wildly at Bomber; the noise was tremendous in the enclosed space but her shots went wide.  She didn't get a second chance, as Iain waded in with his cricket bat and knocked her down.

Within a very short time, all 3 of the team had finished off their enemies (this was the last requirement for Iain to 'upgrade' from citizen to either survivor or ganger: cause damage to an armed opponent).

There were zombies in the line-up room next door.  Bomber and Iain could see them through the one-way window, though the zombies couldn't see the men.  However, these zombies had become interested in all the noises in the corridor and were trying to get out of the locked room.  In addition to that, there was a scrabbling noise coming from the outside of the door to the car park.  It was time to go...

Just as the survivors entered the cell block, another random event (slippery road - or passageway) occurred.  They found the floor of the corridor awash with white foam.
"What the heck happened here?" asked Bomber.
"I think it's from a fire extinguisher.  Or many of them." replied Iain.  "Someone's had quite a party."
"Heads up!" shouted the other man, as a group of shuffling creatures appeared from the open cell at the end of the passage.

In the ensuing melee, both Iain and Clancy lost their footing and fell over; the foam on the floor made balance tricky.  Fortunately for them, Bomber was a bit more sure-footed.  Even better, the clumsy zombies kept sliding about and weren't able to attack very effectively.  Even so, there were a few dicey moments before the humans (and dog) prevailed:

"Do you think someone did this to keep the zombies at bay?  I mean, covered the floor with goo" asked Bomber.  "It's be a good plan too, if we hadn't walked right into it".
"Maybe" replied Iain.  He was feeling very tired; too many people had died today and the strain was beginning to show.  "Hey, listen!"
"What?  I can't hear anything."
"Exactly!" Iain answered.  "It's gone quiet.  Either they've gone elsewhere or they're all asleep.  Do they sleep, I wonder?"
"Right now, I couldn't care less.  Let's block these doors and rest for a while."

A last random event (Safe Haven) enabled the players to end the encounter when inside a building.  They chose to do so straight away and spend the night resting in the cells.  It may not have been very comfortable, but at least nothing would be able to surprise them for a few hours.  Tomorrow would be another story, though!

TRWNN: The Hanging of Buck Johnson

Scenario

For this week's game at the Helensburgh club, I wanted to run an Old West gunfight to show off my newly-completed Battle Flag gallows.  This is the scenario I came up with:

The notorious outlaw "Buck" Johnson has been sentenced to death and is due to be hanged.  The game involves 4 factions, each with differing objectives.  Importantly, most of the groups don't even know who the other factions are, let alone what is their intent.  So here's what each side was told:

• Lawmen: You’ve captured the infamous outlaw “Buck" Johnson. All you have to do to win is walk him from the jail to the gallows, get the preacher to say a prayer and then hang the varmint! Oh, also you need to ensure that law and order is maintained during this solemn occasion.
• Johnson Gang: Your leader, the infamous outlaw “Buck" Johnson has been captured and is due to be hanged. Rescue him! By the way, this might be a good time to rob the bank, while everyone is distracted! (Note that if you are within 12” and in sight of a lawman, he might recognise you before your plans are ready. Be careful!)
• McLintock Gang: A hated rival gang leader, the infamous outlaw “Buck" Johnson has been captured and is due to be hanged. You’d love to see this happen, but you have heard that his gang plan a rescue. Don’t let this happen! By the way, the lawmen are no friends of yours! (Note that if you are within 12” and in sight of one of the Johnson gang or of a lawman, he might recognise you before your plans are ready. Be careful!)
• Bounty Hunter: The notorious outlaw “Buck" Johnson has been captured and is due to be hanged. This is bound to attract a big crowd; perhaps some of the bystanders will have a price on their heads? Worth a look... (Note that the sheriff won’t like it if you just start shooting! In fact, the sheriff probably won’t be pleased with you in his town at all – unless you can show some results!)

The Long March

Right from the start, Sheriff Roberts and Deputy Eddie hustled their prisoner along the street.  There were 2 lawmen here so the group could move whenever either of their action cards came up.  This happened a lot early in the game; they also rolled consistently high for their moves.  No casual moseying here!
(This isn't the ideal figure for a prisoner with his hands tied behind his back, but it's the best I could come up with at short notice!  Also, I realised on examining the photographs that this trio had started from the Trading Post and not from the Jail as intended.  Bother).

As they passed in front of the saloon, several men fell in around the small group.  The sharp eyes of the sheriff spotted a couple of members of the McLintock gang, though he didn't recognise the cigar-chewing stranger with the poncho.  Playing it cool, the lawmen continued as if nothing was amiss.

Reverend Adams, the mad hellfire preacher, was waiting on the gallows for the condemned man to arrive.  He had also spotted trouble, this time in the shape of a couple of members of the Johnson Gang.  Like the sheriff, the preacher bided his time...

The would-be rescuers were slow to react; before they knew it, the lawmen had forced their prisoner up the steps and onto the gallows!

Once on the platform, Sheriff Roberts asked the preacher to say a short prayer.  However, the preacher had other ideas.  His crazy as a loon attribute kicked in and he turned into a terrifying wildman!  Without hesitation, Preacher Adams strode down the stairs, intent on confronting the two good-for-nothings near the foot.  As he walked, he started to rant: "REPENT, FOR THE DAY OF RECKONING IS NEAR FOR YOU!  Did you come here to see your friend die?  Think instead of your OWN souls!  Praise the Lord, for hellfire and damnation await for SINNERS such as you!"

Old Pete was unimpressed by this bluster, but the rookie Jebediah was shaken.  He drew his pistol and fired hastily at the frothing preacher; one lucky shot hit and severely injured the madman.

Immediately, the sheriff fired his shotgun at the Johnson gang, but missed.  Deputy Eddie quickly slipped the noose over the condemned man's head, while various members of the McLintock gang started to approach from the street side.  As for the bounty hunter, Blondie, he was daydreaming today and was still passing the saloon, unaware of all the happenings.

While the lawmen busied themselves on the gallows, the McLintock gang revealed themselves!  Santos (McL) shot Emmett (Jon) in the back - but although the legend was knocked over, he wasn't out of the fight.  After this, shots started to fly everywhere (ineffectually, mind!) as the 2 gangs fought it out.

 Sheriff Roberts used the distraction to reload his shotgun.  However, Deputy Eddie used his time to run to the other side of the platform and pull the lever.  Suddenly, Buck Johnson was dangling at the end of a rope!

The End?

Well, we were only just over an hour into the game at this point.  If the condemned man was hanged then the game was over - and I'd have to fill another 50 minutes or so with something else before the club night ended.  Quickly, I ruled that the hanging had been done in haste and so the victim was still alive, at least until the end of the turn (in The Rules With No Name, the turn ends when the Joker activation card is drawn, whether or not all characters have had a move).  I also decided that in the best tradition of Hollywood movies, it would be possible for someone to shoot through the rope and release the captive, although at a considerable penalty!

Jebediah (the Johnson gang's rookie) got the next activation.  He saw that his boss was in trouble and sprayed bullets in the general direction of the gallows.  Unbelievably, he got 2 hits on the rope, immediately severing it and setting Buck free.  Jaws were dropping all round the table at this feat!

Of course, Buck then got the next activation after this.  He didn't wait to be asked, but legged it as fast as he could with his hands tied!

Blondie had finally realised that something was happening.  He crept up behind Santos (McLintock gang) and tried to arrest him.  The bandit had emptied his gun and couldn't shoot, but he wasn't about to give in to the bounty hunter.  A struggle ensued, with Santos ultimately capitulating (not helped by being shot from behind by one of the Johnson gang).

The McLintocks weren't about to let their hated enemy escape!  First to react was Kid Shelleen; he ran after the fugitive, blazing away with twin pistols.  However, his aim was atrocious and he achieved nothing other than a lot of smoke and noise as he emptied both guns.

Next it was the turn of the big man, Jesse.  He decided to tackle Buck in hand-to-hand instead of shooting him.  In a stunning display of dice rolling he achieved 4 hits and completely flattened the escapee.  Don't make this man angry!

Mopping Up

As the sheriff made his way down the steps of the gallows, the remaining members of the Johnson gang scattered.  Jebediah started to run away and Old Pete moved slowly towards his downed boss in a last-ditch effort to rescue him.  Emmett had just stood up from his earlier wound when the sheriff fired at point blank range; the outlaw received another 3 wounds and went down for good.

Sheriff Roberts then ran after Jebebiah.  Since his shotgun was empty, he drew his pistol and fired, but missed.  The sheriff then charged the terrified rookie and pummelled him to the ground.

Blondie challenged Old Pete as he made his way towards the condemned man.  The outlaw refused to surrender and was riddled with bullets instead.

Finally, the remains of the McLintock gang (Kid Sheleen and Jesse) fled and escaped - but not before giving Deputy Eddie a bit of a kicking.  They may have hated the Johnson gang, but these other outlaws had no fondness for lawmen either!

Aftermath

So, the final standings were as follows:

Lawmen

• Sheriff Roberts: uninjured, with the condemned man and several other villains locked away in the jail.  Personally shot down Emmett and captured Jebediah.  Result!
• Deputy Eddie: bruised, but otherwise unhurt.
• Preacher Adams: seriously injured, having achieved nothing much except ranting and bible thumping.

Johnson gang

• "Buck" Johnson: nearly pulled off a legendary escape, but now back in captivity.  Probably still going to be hanged.
• Emmett: many serious injuries, unconscious and captured.
• Old Pete: many serious injuries, knocked out and captured.
• Jebediah: shot the preacher and shot through the hanging rope, but was then knocked down and captured.

McLintock gang

• Santos: injured Emmett but was then injured in turn and captured.
• Jesse: recaptured the fleeing Buck Johnson for the law, then escaped.
• Kid Sheleen: escaped.

Bounty Hunter

• Blondie: after a slow start, captured Santos and Old Pete without injury.  The reward for those 2 outlaws will be worth quite a bit!

Quonset Huts: Finger and Toe Models

Introduction

There are many companies that supply paper models these days and the quality and variety of their products are improving constantly.  One of these businesses is Finger and Toe Models.  (You'll need to visit their website to work out the reason for the unusual name.  The pun is so groan-worthy that I'm not going to repeat it here!)

Quonset huts are semi-cylindrical, prefabricated buildings that were widely used to construct military bases by the Allies in World War II and after.  They were so common that many still survive, including quite a few that have been converted to civilian use.

I'm intending to build at least part of a government "resettlement" camp for my 28mm ATZ campaign, so when the Quonset Hut kit was released by Finger and Toe I bought it immediately.  That was some time ago...

Cylinders

For a long time (many, many months, if not even a year or two), I hesitated to start building my huts.  What I had in mind was a true half-cylinder rather than the faceted structure that comes in the kit.  I wanted also to be able to lift the whole building away in order to reveal the interior, so the shell had to be hollow.  Finally, I figured that even the thin card I usually use for vehicles and furniture wouldn't be strong enough for the outer skin.  What I needed was a 10cm diameter tube of some kind to act as a support!

The answer came to me last Christmas.  I realised suddenly that the cardboard packets of various snacks were just the right diameter for my huts.  Perfect!  Well, not quite - these tubes were a little bit too short for the models.  Hmm.

OK, the answer seemed obvious.  I cut the tubes in half and then added an extra segment to increase the length.  Note that I found it very difficult to make accurate cuts in a shape like this.  The result was definitely a lot rougher than I would have liked!

Middle Stages

Next, I capped the ends of the huts with semi-circles of mounting board.  I undercoated the models in grey so that any gaps in the paper skin wouldn't be noticed.

After that, I cut out the roof & the 2 end walls and glued them on to the formers.  This all seemed very easy, so far!

Problems

I had some difficulty in sticking the skins to the buildings.  Imagine my horror on discovering that they were peeling off along the edges; the glue had not stuck properly to the matt grey undercoat.  Also, as can be seen from this picture, the edges of the tubes had bowed outwards.  The cheap cardboard cylinders had started to delaminate in places.  Finally, each building was twisted so that the ends were no longer lined up with each other.  This had happened despite my careful weighting down of the models whilst the glue was drying.  What a disaster!

At this point, I gave up any idea of having hollow models.  The only way to recover the builds was to cut rectangles of thick card and glue these inside the shells.  Again, I used weights and rubber bands to hold everything down whilst the glue dried.  This time the trick worked and the models lost their "twist".

Finished?

So, here's how things stand at the moment.  I've added the external hoods to the windows (though a search through Google images suggests that these were optional).  Because these huts are now solid models, I've not yet done anything about interiors; I suppose these will have to be done as off-board units or replacements instead.  The problems encountered have also put me off from doing any work to base these huts.

Finally, if you want to see a good example of how it can be done then take a look at Vampifan's Quonset Hut.  I was aiming for something like this, but my ambitions hit a reality wall before reaching completion!